El Pollo Loco announced that Initiative will be the new strategic media agency of record after a competitive pitch process.
Initiative will be responsible for media planning and buying across all media channels, including television, radio, print, out-of-home, search, social, display, online video and streaming audio, with a $30MM media budget. El Pollo Loco has set aggressive digital acquisition and conversion targets in 2020 and beyond. The company will leverage Initiative’s unique suite of tools and technology and focus on growing long-term digital sales by building differentiation in the marketplace.
“In the past year and a half, we’ve gone from spending 5% on digital media to over 30% of our total media budget. In 2020, sales from our digital channels have tripled versus same period year ago and we are looking to Initiative to help grow them further,” says Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer at El Pollo Loco.
“At Initiative, we relish the partnership we have with brands that shape and define a sense of community. El Pollo Loco is one of those brands, and we are incredibly honored they have chosen our team to help take their business to new levels,” adds Amy Armstrong, CEO Initiative US.